New Malibu Repertory Company Presents 'The Shadow Box'
Thursday, January 17, 2008
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Cast members Will Carney and Pamela Donnelly in "The Shadow Box." The play opens Jan. 18 at the Malibu Stage Company. | |
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Two locals launch a new repertory company in Malibu with an award-winning play.
By Melonie Magruder / Special to The Malibu Times
When Michael Cristofer's play "The Shadow Box" debuted at Los Angeles' Mark Taper Forum in 1975, it struck a chord with audiences. It quickly moved to Broadway, garnering a Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for Best Play and was made into a Golden Globe-winning and Emmy-nominated film, directed by Paul Newman.
All this from a play written about Cristofer's personal experience of two close friends dying.
"But this play's not about death," director Richard Johnson said. "It's about hope. It's about carpe diem. It's about living your life to the fullest before you die."
Johnson, a film and television actor, returns to his theatrical roots with the opening of "The Shadow Box" at the Malibu Stage Company this week.
Johnson and producer Victoria Sterling, both Malibu residents, formed a new theater company this year, the Zuma Repertory Theatre, determined, as Johnson said, "to bring top-notch, Broadway-quality theater with professional actors to Malibu."
Whereas Malibu has seen plenty of professional-quality "one-offs" and play readings featuring the talents of well-known actors such as Ed Asner, Kathleen Quinlan and Martin Sheen, a true repertory theater has been difficult to organize.
"I wanted to change that," Johnson said. "I don't want to have to drive to Hollywood to see great theater when we have such outstanding talent here in Malibu."
So he work-shopped some plays and decided to launch the Zuma Repertory Theatre's first season with a complex piece that would "give everyone on stage a chance to spread their wings and participate in something that truly serves the talent we have."
Indeed, the cast bios for "The Shadow Box" are heavy with resumé mentions of Julliard, The Actor's Studio, Chicago's Steppenwolf and Goodman Theatres, and internationally known films.
New Yorker Pamela Donnelly, a Columbia University graduate and veteran of daytime TV dramas and playwright herself, will be starting her West Coast career trajectory with Zuma Rep.
"I am very fortunate to have come to this cast and this particular piece," she said. "All the characters are so multidimensional, you can really soar."
The Zuma Repertory Theatre is located at the Malibu Stage Company at 29243 Pacific Coast Highway. "The Shadow Box" runs Jan. 18 to Feb. 2, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., with complimentary wine tasting from local vineyards at all performances and an exposition of local artists' works from the Malibu Art Association. Tickets are $20. More information and tickets can be obtained by calling 800.838.3006 or online at www.brownpapertickets.com. Tickets are also available at the theater office box or by calling 310.589.1998.
